Ashwin gained two places after taking six wickets in India's emphatic victory over Australia in the second Test in New Delhi.
Spinners Dunith Wellalage (3-42) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-26) kept Sri Lanka in the hunt but Dasun Shanaka's side were left to rue a limp performance with the bat.
Jhye Richardson will replace injured paceman Josh Hazlewood but opener David Warner has been cleared to play against England in the second day-night Ashes Test.
David Warner and Ashton Agar were included in Australia's squad for next month's one-day international series in India on Thursday despite being sent home from the test tour this week.
Cummins won an important toss but Australia could not quite vindicate his decision to bat
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and Australia, at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, on Thursday.
Images from Day 1 of the Day-Night Tour match played in Sydney on Friday.
With Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane unbeaten at the end of the penultimate day of the WTC Final, will India pull off another stunning win?
Australia reduced West Indies to 102-4 to tighten their grip on the day-night second Test at the Adelaide
Australia have kept their bowling options wide open for India tour
Indian cricket team will not just be looking to win a third ODI global title but also look at saving the '50-over format' which has been battling identity crisis for at least five years now.
Australia laboured to a modest 263 all out on the opening day of the second Test against India in New Delhi
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and Australia, at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, on Sunday.
Australia's cricketing DNA is constructed by meticulousness and Pakistan's by explosiveness.
David Warner has been under pressure after a poor run of form with the bat but returned after injury to the 17-man squad for the June 7 WTC final against India at The Oval and the first two Ashes Tests.
Tim Paine is stepping away from cricket for an "indefinite mental health break", his manager said on Friday, leaving Australia's Ashes preparations in disarray a week after the wicketkeeper's resignation from the captaincy.
Before the players goes under the hammer in Chennai, here are a few batsmen who are expected to pique the interest of the franchises on Thursday.
Babar smashed an unbeaten 105 and opener Imam-ul-Haq made 89 not out
Ravichandran Ashwin becomes leading wicket-taker in Border-Gavaskar Trophy history
Australia are on the cusp of a series victory in Sri Lanka and captain Pat Cummins believes the exposure to sub-continental conditions augurs well for their next big target of winning a Test series in India next year.
Australia's bowlers struck twice in quick succession in a devastating spell against England at Edgbaston on Sunday, before heavy rain prevented any further play.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test played between India and Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday
Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa collected three wickets apiece in Australia's eight-wicket demolition of Zimbabwe on Wednesday, giving the home side an unassailable 2-0 series lead from the second One-Day International at Riverway Stadium in Townsville.
Resurgent Australia stand between unblemished India and World Cup glory
As the prestigious Ashes gets underway, here's a look at the milestones that can be achieved.
Australia will look for another dominating show but need to be cautious when they face a tenacious Netherlands in the World Cup 2023 match in New Delhi.
IMAGES from the 3rd ODI between India and Australia played in Rajkot on Wednesday
The Indians lost their last seven wickets for the addition of just 70 runs on the final day of the contest.
Australia racked up 469 in their first innings and then reduced India to 151/5 to put themselves in the box seat in the World Test Championship final.
Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, one of the most astute readers of the game, explained Jadeja's lethal transformation during the World Cup compared to earlier years.
The game on Friday had enough positives for India, mainly the performance of Mohammad Shami and Suryakumar Yadav, but few questions still need to be answered ahead of the World Cup, beginning October 5.
K L Rahul struck an unbeaten 75 to anchor their nervy chase against Australia in a low-scoring contest and secure a five-wicket win in the opening one-day international.
David Warner slogged his way to his third double-hundred from 254 balls before succumbing to cramps and limping off with the aid of a trainer.
Alex Carey is content being Australia's preferred white-ball wicketkeeper but hopes to be 'good enough' one day to break into the Test squad. His limited-overs duty has somewhat restricted his first class experience and Carey said shifting from one format to another was not easy.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh leads a 14-man squad packed with international experience, a group featuring Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw and Chris Tremain.
Images from Day 1 of the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Headingley in Leeds on Thursday.
Visitors Australia handed India a 21-run defeat in the decider at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to clinch a 2-1 win over the hosts.
Glimpses from Day 3 of the second Test between India and Australia at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, February 19, 2023.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 5th Ashes Test played between England and Australia at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
Ravichandran Ashwin tore through Australia in their second innings to set up a comprehensive victory for India by an innings and 132 runs inside three days of the spin-dominated opening Test.
